Apple Streusel French Toast Casserole
This Apple French Toast Casserole is filled with fresh apples, topped with an easy streusel, and can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated overnight. Perfect for an easy fall breakfast!
*This post is sponsored by Kroger. The opinions and text are all mine.*
Last week I shared my family’s classic apple cake recipe with you, and this week I have another delicious apple recipe to share with you too – this apple french toast casserole!
I’ve had a french toast breakfast casserole on my list of recipes to work on for a while now, but I decided to add a little spin to it by adding some chopped apples and a streusel topping. And the end result was so delicious, I knew I had to share it with you!
One of the great things about this casserole is that you can prepare it the night before, cover it, and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. Then in the morning, all you have to do is take it out of the refrigerator, preheat the oven, and let it bake. How’s that for an easy fall breakfast?!
Recipe Ingredients
This make ahead french toast casserole has a simple ingredients list. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:
- Apple: I used chopped Honeycrisp apples, but Fuji or Gala apples are some other great options.
- Sugar: The apples and casserole are sweetened with granulated sugar, and the streusel topping gets some flavor from brown sugar.
- Cinnamon: I added cinnamon to all three layers of this easy french toast casserole to really amp up the fall flavor.
- Bread: Any kind of bread will be fine here, just make sure that you have about 11-12 cups.
- Eggs: Helps bind everything together.
- Milk: Whole milk is best for this recipe, but 2% should work fine too.
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract delivers the best flavor.
- All-purpose flour: Used in the streusel topping.
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter since the amount of salt in salted butters can vary between different brands.
- Salt: Enhances the apple-cinnamon flavor of this casserole.
How to Make Apple French Toast Casserole
To make this apple french toast casserole, you’ll start out with some day old bread. For this recipe, I typically use a 16-18 ounce loaf of French bread from Kroger.
If your bread is fresh, you can also cube it, then place it on a baking sheet and bake it at 350°F (177°C) for about 10 minutes or until the bread is dried out. Once the bread is ready, you’ll place about half of it into a 9×13 baking pan.
Then, you’ll toss together some chopped apples with a little sugar and ground cinnamon. For this recipe, I used Kroger’s Honeycrisp apples.
Kroger has so many fresh apples this time of year ranging from Honeycrisp (my personal favorite!) to Gala apples and even Sweet Tango apples too. Every time I go in their store the produce aisle is lined with tons of beautiful apples and other quality produce that is always fresh.
I’ve mentioned it before, but I absolutely adore Kroger because they are a one-stop-shop for all of my fall recipe needs. Everything in this casserole, including the bread, milk, and eggs came straight from their store!
Once you’ve added the chopped apple mixture on top of the bread, you’ll add the other half of the bread, then mix together the custard. For the custard mixture, you’ll be using some whole milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon. Once it’s whisked together, pour it over the bread, cover it, and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
To make the crumb topping, you’ll whisk together some flour, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and a little salt. Then you’ll use a pastry cutter (or fork) to cut some cold butter into the mixture until it’s nice and crumbly like the picture above.
If you want to make this recipe even easier, you can prepare the topping right after you make the French toast casserole and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake the casserole.
I prefer my casserole to be a little firm, so I bake it for about 1 hour. If you prefer a softer texture, you can bake it for about 45 minutes. Once it’s done, just let it cool for a little bit, then dust it with some powdered sugar or top it with some pure maple syrup, and enjoy!
FAQ’s
Can I Make This Casserole in Advance?
Yes! I actually prefer to prepare the french toast breakfast casserole the night before and let it sit overnight so the bread can really soak up the custard. Then in the morning, all you have to do is top it with the crumb topping and bake it.
What’s the Best Bread for French Toast Casserole?
I typically use a 16-18 ounce loaf of French bread for this recipe, which is equal to 11-12 cups of bread. Challah or brioche bread are other great options!
Storage Instructions
Store leftover apple french toast casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave for 20-30 seconds if desired.
Baking Tips
- You can use just about any kind of bread that you prefer in this casserole, just make sure to use about 11-12 cups of bread. I used a loaf of French bread from Kroger, but challah bread or brioche would work well too.
- Any kind of baking apples will work well in this dish. I really love the Honeycrisp apples from Kroger but their Gala or Fuji apples would be great options too!
- This French toast bake will need to sit for at least 3-4 hours so the bread has time to soak up the custard. I suggest preparing it the night before and baking it the next morning.
More Apple Recipes To Try!
- Classic Apple Pie
- Apple Crisp For Two
- Apple Oatmeal Cookies
- Apple Muffins
- Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal Cups
Apple French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
For the apple mixture:
- 3 cups (350 grams) chopped apple
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the french toast casserole:
- 1 (16-18 ounce) loaf day-old French bread , cubed into 1-inch pieces
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the crumb topping:
- 1/3 cup (42 grams) all-purpose flour , spooned & leveled
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar , lightly packed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Tiny pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup (60 grams) cold unsalted butter , cubed into small pieces
Instructions
To make the casserole:
- Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan well with nonstick cooking spray or grease with butter. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss together the chopped apples, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon until well combined. Set aside.
- Add half of the cubed bread to the prepared baking dish and spread it around into one even layer. Add all of the chopped apple mixture on top of the bread and evenly spread it around, then top with the remaining bread. Set aside.
- Add the eggs to a large mixing bowl and lightly beat them, add in the milk, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla extract, and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon and whisk until fully combined. Pour the mixture over the bread in the prepared baking dish, making sure to cover all of it. Press down on the bread to make sure it's coated in the mixture.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or up to 12 hours.
To make the crumb topping:
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt, then add the cold cubed butter. Using a pastry cutter (or fork) cut the butter into the mixture until it starts to come together and is crumbly.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake the French toast casserole.
To assemble and bake the casserole:
- Once the French toast casserole is ready, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C), remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
- After the 30 minutes, uncover the French toast bake and top it with the crumb topping.
- Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 45 minutes (for a softer texture) to 60 minutes (for a firmer texture) or until the top is set and firm in the middle. Tent with foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking time if needed to prevent excess browning on top.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30-45 minutes, then serve, and enjoy!
My family truly enjoyed this for brunch!! Would you say this recipe is crockpot friendly?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would be okay! Just make sure to prepare it ahead of time and refrigerate it for at least 3-4 hours before cooking. I would guess it would probably take about 2-3 hours on high or 4-5 hours on low.
Room temp for 30 minutes, bake for 45 minutes then rest for another 45 minutes?
I think it’d be easier just to make french toast
After all that- it was very dry.
Could you substitute honey for the sugar? If so, how would you suggest I change the recipe?
I haven’t tried it, so it’s hard to say. You may be able to replace the sugar with honey, but you’d likely need to reduce the amount of milk in the recipe.
Can you prep this the night before and bake the morning after?
Yes, that’s fine! Just make sure to let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes while the oven is preheating.
This was amazing. Definitely will make again
Please, please, please change the required time on this recipe to 4-5 hours. Since it has to sit for 3-4 hours, it becomes a cruel reality when half way through making the recipe, you read that it has to sit for 3 hours.
Granted, a novice mistake, but a mistake just as easily made by a tired, sleepy mom.
Happy Thanksgiving.
French Toast Casserole for lunch, cereal for breakfast.
Just updated the recipe 🙂
I didn’t have enough apples at home so I switched them out for blueberries instead! I also added small cubes of cream cheese prior to sprinkling with the crumb topping. In the oven now… We shall see how it turns out!
This sounds really good I am looking forward to making this!!
This sounds so yummy,but my family are not fond of apples. Can peaches be used instead?
I think that would be fine, but peaches do have more moisture in them than apples. You may want to chop them, let them sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then use a slotted spoon and leave the excess juice in the bowl.